LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1874. LITERATURE, ENGLI 473 



tlu-tv are journals and writers in St. Petersburg 

 support the ideas of Moscow, though it 

 i l- diilioult to say the reverse. The 

 Mo-cow school is grouped round the Ruuian 

 MeueiKjer and the Motcoio Gazette, or, in other 

 ITOrdt, about Mr. Katkoil'; while the St. Peters- 

 burg school, embracing very different opinions 

 ami tendencies, finds its expression in the Mct- 

 tenger of Europe, Annals of the Fatherland, 

 lad M (Dyelo). 



An approximately just view of the present 

 .-tat.- of Russian literature might, perhaps, be 

 pit from Skladtehina, a sort of literary album, 

 which was published for the benefit of the suf- 

 ferers from famine in the Government of Sa- 

 mara. Every prominent writer, except Count 

 Leo Tolstoi, is here represented. At the same 

 time it speaks badly for the literary produc- 

 tions of the year when I have to point to the 

 small scraps of good writers that I find here as 

 the best, though wo are promised soon now 

 novels by Gontcharof, Tourgudnief, and Leo 

 Tolstoi. Tourguenief did indeed about the 

 same time publish two or three other short 

 sketches : " Pegas," a story of his dog ; " Ours," 

 a touching episode of the French Revolution 

 of '48; and "Punin and Barburin," the central 

 figure of which is a republican, the action re- 

 lating to the time preceding the emancipation. 



In poetry the year is far worse than in fic- 

 tion. Amid the pressure of reforms, of discon- 

 tent, and of the pursuit of wealth, the muse is 

 silent. The drama is represented only by a 

 collection of the plays of Pisemsky, two fee- 

 ble plays by Krylof chiefly known as an ar- 

 ranger from the French and Minaef, and 

 " An Old Maid's Love," by Ostrofsky. 



The Archffiographical Commission is doing a 

 very useful thing in publishing a carefully-col- 

 lated edition of the "Lives of the Saints," one 

 of the monuments of the Old Church litera- 

 ture. Pypin has been continuing his " Studies 

 of Literary History " by an exceedingly valu- 

 able and interesting book on the critic Bye- 

 linsky, while Annenkof has completed his es- 

 says on Pushkin, and has issued them in a 

 separate volume. Mr. Aksakof, who, since 

 the suppression of his journal, has hardly been 

 heard from, has just published a detailed life 

 of his father-in-law, the poet Tutchef. Yurii 

 Rossel, a new writer, has published an ex- 

 tended and carefully-written study of John 

 Stuart Mill and his school. The only other 

 work of a philosophical character is the " Cri- 

 sis of Western Philosophy," directed as well 

 a:ra:nst the positivists as against the negative 

 school of Hartmann, by V. Solovief. 



The most prominent contribution to politi- 

 cal literature, and, in many respects, the most 

 remarkable book of the year, is the " Essays 

 in Political Science," edited by V. Bezobra- 

 zof, of the Academy of Sciences, the first 

 volume of which has just appeared. It is not 

 exactly a journal, for it is to bo published 

 from time to time as material is collected, and 

 consists of essays on subjects relating to po- 



litical and economical science by the best au- 

 thorities of Russia, as well as of reviews and 

 i-rit irisms on books already published in RUSSIA 

 and abroad. The most interesting articles are 

 "Law and Administrative Dispositions," by A. 

 (Ira.lof-kv ; Immigration," by Princo Viisilt- 

 cliikof ; u The Brussels Conference," by Prof. 

 Martens ; and especially " The Russian Policy 

 in Central Asia," by Prof. Grigorief. ThU 

 last essay gives the whole history of the rela- 

 tions of Russia to Asia down to the accession 

 of the Emperor Alexander, and shows that 

 ever since Russia aspired to bo a European 

 state that is, since the time of Peter the 

 Great she has been entirely without an 

 Asiatic policy, from total ignorance and care- 

 lessness on the subject. Grigorief, with his 

 immense knowledge of Asiatic history and 

 life, and his practical experience as a former 

 Governor of the Kirghis at Orenburg, could 

 not fail to write interestingly on such a topic, 

 and he has brought to light many facts which 

 have been quite unknown to Russian historians. 



Among the materials for history comes the 

 first volume of the " Collection of Treaties 

 concluded by Russia with Foreign Powers," 

 by Prof. Martens. This volume includes the 

 treaties made with Austria from 1648 to 17C2, 

 both in Russian and French, and contains be- 

 sides an historical review of Russia's relations 

 to Austria, with notes and introduction to all 

 the treaties, also in French, which enhances 

 the value of the work for foreigners. 



Geographical literature is unusually rich, 

 Central Asia naturally occupying the promi- 

 nent place, owing to the recent expedition 

 against Khiva. The official history has not 

 yet appeared, but, besides numerous articles 

 and sketches, Dr. Emil Schmidt has published 

 nn account of it in German, while Dr. Grimm 

 has given us the " Impressions of a Military 

 Surgeon," and Lerch has treated of the history 

 and geography of the country in his "Khiva 

 oder Kharezm," with a full discussion of the 

 authorities. 



LITERATURE, ENGLISH. As intimated in 

 the preceding article, under the sub-title, RK- 

 PKINTS AND REPUBLioATioNS, most of the more 

 noticeable English books, those especially of 

 popular interest, are promptly issued in this 

 country. But among the mass of books that 

 address only the British public, or that make 

 their way more slowly across the Atlantic, arc 

 some that have a claim to at least a passing 

 reference. 



In the department of History some elab- 

 orate and valuable works have appeared. Such 

 are, a " History of the English Institutions," by 

 Philip Vernon Smith; "The Archroology of 

 Rome," by J. H. Parker ; " The Decline of the 

 Roman Republic," five volumes, by George 

 Long ; " History of Greece," by G. W. Cox, 

 not completed, but the installment that has 

 appeared much approved ; " Constitutional 

 History of England," two volumes out, by 

 William Stubbs ; " The Scottish War of Inde- 



